


Alive

by fantastic_rambles



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Drama, Enemies, Introspection, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28634499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fantastic_rambles/pseuds/fantastic_rambles
Summary: As Makishima waits for Kougami at the top of the NONA Tower, he muses on everything that has led him to this moment. A short character study.





	Alive

This world should be destroyed.

It was impossible to pinpoint the first time the idea had occurred to him, or when it had grown into a conviction, the driving force behind his every action. But even from a young age, he'd never really recognized the system that refused to acknowledge him. And as he watched his peers simply continue onto the rails that had been laid out for them by a machine, without question or hesitation, that feeling had only grown stronger.

To have faith not in themselves, but in some impersonal algorithm, to merely acquiesce to the path of least resistance was something that Makishima could never understand. For the elites who were promised every luxury in exchange for their unquestioning obedience: how could they accept the crushing of their individuality for the sake of comfort? For the average citizens who were forced into simple drudgery: how could they be satisfied and unwilling to strive for more? And above all of that, the overarching fear for their mental state, of being labeled a latent criminal and pulled down into the darkness, with every right stripped from them, no matter who they had been before or how much they had achieved… did their souls not cry out against that indignity, beating their wings against the bars of the golden cage?

At first, when his vague feelings had condensed into those thoughts, he'd hesitated, checking his Hue like any good citizen, thinking that he would be caught and forced into a medicated regimen that would erase his identity, or simply locked away for the rest of his life. But every time, it registered as clear as a cloudless sky. And thus, he had come to realize two possibilities: that Sybil either could not see who he really was, or that his way of thinking was simply correct. Not necessarily in terms of the thoughts themselves, seeing as many citizens were arrested for far less, but in his confidence in his beliefs that precluded any feelings of guilt or shame. Whichever was the case, the result was the same: he could move outside the purview of the system to pursue his goals.

And that's exactly what he did, delving into the books that few read anymore while searching for like-minded comrades. Books from a time when the writers could speak more freely and reflect upon the imperfect but enthralling nature of humanity. People who could help him highlight the inherent flaws of the system and just how twisted their world had become. In both, he found the true distillation of the human spirit that Sybil sought to eliminate, ever striving and struggling for their own ends. Japan had become not a utopia, but a dystopia, fueled by its citizens' complacency, so the only way to wake them up was to destroy everything from the roots up, no matter the cost.

In the end, he had decided that the fastest way to do that was to immerse them in the mire, to show them that their oh-so-vaunted Sybil had not really changed anything or made them safer. As discontent--or as it was called now, "stress levels"--increased, it would be the catalyst for change. Of course, if he could get close enough to simply destroy Sybil altogether, that was the ideal situation, but he knew it wouldn't be easy. So he and his collaborators gnawed at its foundations from the edges, until they had finally reached this pivotal moment.

The sounds of combat pulled him from his thoughts and the sight of unrest in the city. Of course, he knew exactly who was pursuing him: it was why he had come here while sending Choe Gu-sung to fulfill the most critical role in their plans. If it was anyone else, he might have gone himself instead, but Gu-sung was no disposable pawn, unlike many of the others he had used to get here. He might even be the only one Makishima truly trusted, now that Touma was gone.

But the man who waited for him now was much different, and yet, perhaps the closest to his spirit. He'd been impressed by Kougami ever since Oso Academy: even though they stood diametrically opposed to each other, Makishima was certain that they understood each other intimately. It was unfortunate that the Enforcer showed no interest in joining them, though it was understandable.

Even so, when he finally came face to face with the man for the first time, Makishima felt a thrill that blew away his world-weariness. It seemed only fitting that at the end of it all, one of them would perish at the hands of the other. He even thought that he wouldn't mind if he were to be the one on the ground, with his life trickling away, because the decision to kill him would be Kougami's own will: not Sybil's, not the Bureau's, but the man's own deep, dark desires. Yes, only with Kougami did he ever really feel alive.

It truly was a pity that he'd have to kill him.


End file.
